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No. III ]
PODANAPURA AND TAKSASILĀ,
The Suramya or Ramyaka country of the Jainas also seems in the light of above narrations to come into the same territory of Dakṣiṇāpatha. Moreover the Greek Geographer Ptolemy (140 A.C.) in his map of ancient India locates a country named Ramnai, which also falls in the modern Central Provinces and Berar with some division of the Nizam's dominions. It is most probable that Ramnai of Ptolemy represents the Suramya or Ramyaka of the Jain books. Therefore Podanapura being the capital of Ashamaka or Ramyaka should be find also, somewhere in the country named above.
To make the point clear still further, let us see the whereabouts of the surrounding places of Podonapura as named in above Jaina narrations.
Mountains of Bhūtācala and Rāmgiri are mentioned as we have already seen in connection with a prebirth of Lord Pārśva ; Vădirāja says that Kamatha went to join an āśrama or mountain Bhatīcala, while Jinasena tells us that Kamatha went to an āśrama of Tāpasas on Rāmagiri hill. It is possible that either the both mountains were identical or they formed two peaks of the saine range. Rāmgiri has been identified with the modern Riimateka in the Nāgpur division.' As to Bhūtācala, it ought to be somewhere in the vicinity of Rāmțeka. My friend Mr. Govind Pai suggests that Bhūtácala should be Betul of the same division, though it is a town at present but has many hills round about. Moreover it is not of much distance from the Ashamaka country as pointed in the map annexed to Prof. R. K. Mookerji's “Fundamental Unity of India." The Matsyapurāņa locates a country of the name of Tāpasas itself on the northern part of Dakşinäpatha,. which gets support from the mention of the same country as Tabassoi by Ptolemy. Therefore it is possible that Kamatha went to Bhutācala or Rāmagiri in the Tāpasa country to observe the penances there. Be as it may, it is clear from every
1. The Geog. Dictionary of ancient & Mod. India, BFAAT: 248.
उपादित्याचार्य mentioned रामगिरि in त्रिकलिंग which is modern C. P. 2. Panini Office ed. SBH. xvii ch. cxiv.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
